Does stigma and discrimination influence the parenthood aspirations of sexual minority people (i.e., people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, etc.)? Laws barring same-sex couples from fostering or adopting children have been in place in many states, especially prior to the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015. There are only a handful of research studies that focus on how experiences of discrimination and perceptions of stigma may shape parenthood aspirations of sexual minority people. A new study in the Journal of Family Psychology examines the effects of felt stigma, internalized homophobia, and discrimination on the desire by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people to have children, as well as the belief in whether having children is a possibility.

What prior studies haven’t done is consider how younger generations of sexual minority people may differ in their parenthood aspirations than those in older generations. Recent cohorts of LGB people who came of age during the period leading up to marriage equality may have very different family life expectations compared to older LGB people who came of age, for example, in the era of HIV/AIDS.

This new study shows that a younger generation (ages 18-25 in 2016) of sexual minority people both desire to have children more than a generation that came of age before marriage equality (ages 34-41), and believe in a greater likelihood that they will have children. For both generations, those who reported more negative feelings about being LGB (“internalized homophobia”) also reported a greater desire to have children. This finding may seem surprising: it suggests is that having children may help some LGB people conform to society’s heterosexual norms, feelings that would be consistent with internalized homophobia. At the same time, the study also found that those who felt greater stigma related to being LGB believed it was less likely that they would ever have children. People who experience or feel discrimination for being LGB may feel discouraged about the possibility of having children, regardless of how much they may want to have children. The discrepancy between the desire to have children and the belief it is likely is referred to as a “parenting expectation gap.” This expectation gap – about a very typical and important life goal – may be harmful to mental health.

These findings show that prejudice and stigma can negatively impact the parenthood aspirations of sexual minority people. For counselors and social workers that work with sexual minority adults who want to be parents, it is critical to understand how internalized feelings of stigma or shame may affect their aspirations for having children. Counselors can help sexual minority adults recognize the discrepancy between the desire to have children and the belief that they will be parents in the future, a process that could protect mental health.

Acknowledgments: The Generations study is funded by a grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; Grant 1R01HD078526) and through supplemental grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and Office of Research on Women’s Health. Generations study investigators are I. H. Meyer (principal investigator), D. M. Frost, P. L. Hammack, M. Lightfoot, S.T. Russell, and B. D. M. Wilson. The research was also supported by an infrastructure grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD, P2C HD042849) awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

Armin A. Dorri is a Doctoral Candidate in Human Development and Family Sciences at University of Texas at Austin. You can follow them on Twitter @armin_dorri

Stephen T. Russell is a Priscilla Pond Flawn Regents Professor in Child Development and Director of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas at Austin. You can follow them on Twitter @StephnTRussell